Unlike most beers that begin with base malt and add specialty malts for flavor, Karl Strauss Oktoberfest is made from 100% specialty malts. A flavorful blend of Vienna, Munich, and Carahell malts create a toasty, nutty flavor that is characteristic of the style. To balance out the sweetness from the malts, the brewers stayed true to tradition using imported Hallertau Perle hops for a spicy finish.

After cold fermenting for several weeks, the golden hued lager is cellared at 50-degrees for an additional three weeks, creating an incredibly smooth finish. Weighing in at 5% ABV, this exceptional session lager is a great complement to traditional Oktoberfest fare, including grilled meats, burgers, and of course, sausages.

(12 oz bottle) Jesus Christ, is this an Oktoberfest, or a Miller High Life copy? This Oktoberfest is just flat out awful, nothing more than a lawnmower beer. Lightly sweet, kind of grainy, with a mild bitterness, but malty isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind while drinking this beer. This just might be the worst Oktoberfest I’ve ever sampled, seriously. Stinky, grainy, lightly sweet nose. Thin palate. Fizzy yellow beer with a small white head and lots of carbonation bubbles. I swear, it looks like Miller High Life too. I bought a six pack to send out in trades. What an idiot! Thank God I only sent out 1 bottle in a trade, and it was a bonus beer. My apologies, Derek! My ratebeer membership should be revoked as punishment.

UPDATED: JAN 16, 2005 12oz bottle. Very malty aroma and taste. A thin and unremarkable drink. The lack of complexity that yields such a malt (almost malt liquor-esque) flavor didn’t please. Wouldn’t buy it again by any means.

Well, Strauss beers don’t usually do much for me. Nothing offensive, but nothing very interesting. That’s pretty much the story with this one. It had some of the mildly toasty malt character that I would expect from a Marzen but without any depth or complexity.

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